If you have been off the workforce, you obviously want to come back with a bang, which is very much okay. To do this, you should have an awesome resume, since you want to display your skills. With such a gap since the last job title you held, you need to put in some extra effort in ensuring your resume is the talk of the interviewing panel. The tips listed below will help you get there.
1. Unpaid work is still appropriate experience
During the time you were a full-time parent, you might have been involved in a lot of volunteer activities. Although such responsibilities were not paid for, they are still a way of showcasing your skills. Use action words to describe the volunteer work. For instance, you can say, “Balanced my child’s school PTA budget’”
2. Select the best format for your resume
Usually, most people prefer the chronological format, which entails listing of experience in order of dates. However, for somebody who has been off the workforce for a while, this might not go down well. Instead, create a combination or functional resume as it will emphasize on your skills as opposed to timing.
3. Include freelance work
For some stay-at-home parents, being in the house does not mean taking a full-time break. Some will take up part-time jobs and freelance tasks; either in their career or outside their careers. Even when you did not receive a monthly salary for it, the work is still recognized as experience and should be listed on the resume as such. Do not limit yourself.
4. Put older jobs back on the resume
Have you excluded some of your oldest positions since you feel it has been such a long time? I yes, this is wrong, and you need to change. As long as you do not use the chronological format, you are good to go. Put them all back in.